Wednesday, September 25, 2013

I had selfish reasons for throwing my husband a 50th Birthday Party. Yes, I thought it would be fun and I wanted to honor him but I also wanted to make sure that he throws one for me in 25 7 years.

iKeith and I love going to Oktoberfest every year (when we can) and we're both German (him more than me) so it was the perfect theme! We were also celebrating Keith's parents 50th wedding anniversary....thank goodness those too had a fling in the backseat of that car!

We had a white tent that served as the Bier Tent and it also held the food. Brats, Sauerkraut, chips and dip and Deviled Egg Pasta Salad. We went through 13 pounds of ice. THIRTEEN! We offered two kinds of German beer and Coors and Bud and Sam Adams Oktoberfest which is my personal favorite. That great sign was purchased from Party City, online....they don't carry it in the store.

Also from Party City, the cute bibs! I had fully intended to purchase authentic lederhosen and a beer wench outfit but Keith said no. These worked great and I was able to force convince my Mom, Sister and Mother in Law to wear them too. My friend Helle helped me make the Pretzel Necklaces for all of our guests. It was a nice little snack while chatting with friends and drinking a cold bier.

See our friends there? Everyone was required to take a picture with them before they could leave. They also came from Party City. Everyone had fun moving their arms and legs into fun positions for the pictures!

A good time was had by all and the weather was perfect for that short time. It was great to see our dearest friends and family again for a happy reason and Keith's Birthday wish is that he lives long enough to see my 50th birthday. Well! He had better because he has a party to throw!

Friday, September 6, 2013

Flashback Friday! This was published just two months ago....but I think Google would like to see it again.

A while back, my dear friend and partner in organizing all things showed me her Thirty One Tote that she uses for storing greeting cards. Jessica is just brillant when it comes to finding clever way keep her things tidy so I always try to steal borrow her ideas when I can.

Several months ago, I was walking around Home Depot. I think I was looking for the bathroom because I constantly have to pee, when I found a bunch of handheld tool totes. I looked that them for a long time and thought I should get one of these so I can copy Jessica. I found the bathroom and forgot about the tote.

This week I was walking around WalMart.

Disclaimer: I drove 20 miles to the nice part of town so that I could have a pleasant WalMart experience.

I found myself in the tool section explaining what all the tools are for my kids and I saw it. My Tote!!

TOTES! It's perfect and purple and doesn't scream CRAFTSMAN on the front! It's exactly what I was looking for and it was only $12.98. I snatched it up and took it home and hugged it for a long time before I put all of my stuff in it.

Here is what is in the my Journal Tote:

Smash My Year Smashbook and Thirty One bag that Jessica gave me to hold all of my stickers and what not.

My kids journals that I write in every week

My journals that I write in every week

Sharpie Markers

Papermate Markers

Scissors

Stuff that needs to go into journals (pictures, movie stubs, invites)

HAPPINESS

It looks so great sitting on the corner of my desk and since I don't have a dedicated space for crafting/journaling and I ofter lug all of my stuff to the bedroom or in front of the TV, it's just perfect!

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

I love movies but I hardly ever get out to see them. I realized that this is the perfect opportunity for me to check out great movies and enrich my life! I am a cultured chick so I picked Woody Allen's new film first.

Blue Jasmine is about a high society gal (played by the amazing Cate Blanchett) who has to start her life over in San Francisco after her husband's ponzi scheme falls apart and she's left with nothing. Well....if you count a beautiful wardrobe, a Hermes bag and Louis Vuitton luggage as nothing!

Jasmine moves in with her sister and tries to get her life back on track. The poor thing has a little zanax and vodka problem and might be crazy. We learn about her old life in a series of flashbacks. For a little while, things are going great because Jasmine meets a substantial guy, he falls in love with her but it doesn't last.

And that's all I'm going to say about that!

Cate Blanchett did an amazing job with this character and I wouldn't be surprised if she gets nominated for an award. I have to say, I really enjoyed the movie even thought the old guy behind me said it was the worst movie he's ever seen. I suspect that is the reason I liked it!